(Valerie's p.o.v)
I walked together with my friends down the stairs to the caves, were we apparently would be safe. I didn't want to go, I wanted to stay with Thorin. Or atleast take him with me, so that he could survive. After a few minutes of walking, the sound of crushing stones and paining screams pierced my ears and made fall onto my knees, covering my ears. When the horrible sounds stopped, I looked up and saw that everyone around me had done the exact same.
My stomach was twisted in fear and I started to hyperventilate. The dragon had entered. My head felt incredibly dizzy again, it almost made me pass out. But I couldn't let it stop me. I have to get back up and save Thorin. I stumbled up on my feet and started to walk up the stairs. I heard the voices of my friends yelling at me to come back. But I did not listen, I cannot lose my lover also.
It felt like it took forever to get back up to the square. My legs were sore when I opened the gates back out. I examined the place; the were nothing left of the army, either they were dead or had fled the mountain. I searched through the dead bodies, because I just wanted to make sure that Thorin wasn't a dead body among them. Flies had already began to eat on the corpses. It stank tremendously bad, I had to hold my nose in order not to vomit.
Most of the corpses that I had to turn or shove out of the way, were incredibly hot to touch. The armor had been burnt and heated by the fire of the dragon. I felt horrible as I searched. I was literally shoving bodies of dead dwarves, that could have had families. Tears began to well up and sorrow entered my mind. These poor dwarves.
I didn't find Thorin, thank Mahal. I suppose he had already left the mountain, maybe. I should just go out and look for him and see if he was out there and then I could get back to get the rest of the people in the caves.
I started to make my way out from the mountain, when I heard a threatening growl, not far behind me. I stopped and slowly turned around on the spot. And there it was; the dragon.
It was the exact the same one I had seen sleeping in my vision; fiery red scale, huge and absolutely terrifying. Its eyes were yellow and orange, like the fire inside it gave color to its eyeballs. Its scale was tough and extremely hard, I bet nothing could pierce it. As it breathed heavily, I could feel a warm breeze upon my skin.
I tried to control my breathing, but I failed. The stress and fear began to boil up and my lungs craved more and more air. My eyes widened and I felt shivers upon my spine. Bless me, it truly had come true.
For a moment, we stared at each other, and the second moment, I fled for my life away from the dragon.
Me: "Oh Mahal! Save me!"
I cried in horror. The soreness in my legs had vanished and I was able to move them as fast as I could. But when I laid an eye on the entrance, I realized it had been sealed. Blocked with huge and massive rocks. I didn't realize this in time to stop myself from running, so I bashed into the rocks and fell onto the floor.
My nose was pounding intensely and blood poured out of it. I started to rise, stumbling and struggling to get up. Then I heard a deep, raspy and rough voice snarling at me.
Dragon: "Your looks does certainly not match with your physical intelligence, dwarf"
I was so surprised that the thing even talked, that I did not care about his insult towards me. The dragon was absolutely huge, he covered up the whole square with his body.
Me: "Please, don´t hurt me"
Dragon: "I know who you are"
Me: "What?"
Dragon: "You are Valerie Wood-hammer, the dwarrowdam that was confessed as the most beautiful dwarf in the history at the age of 12"
How on earth did he know who I was?
Dragon: "Such beauty. Truly a treasure of nature and wonder"
The dragon kept on rambling about nothing. I tried to find a way to escape, but I knew it would be useless. I did not want to make a move, in fear of triggering the dragon to charge. The dragon silenced for a moment, but then continued to talk with a growl in his throat.
Dragon: "Perhaps I should introduce myself-"
The dragon was interrupted by loud shoutings and exclamations. It came from the gate down to the caves. I closed my eyes as I recognized the voices. My friends.
Cursed crow of the graveyard.Dragon: "What is that?"
I did not care to answer the dragon, instead I focused my gaze on the gate as I waited for my friends to burst through them. They did, and when they saw the dragon, they paled and froze into stone. The dragon eyed them and snarled.
Me: "No! Leave them be!"
The dragon glanced back at me and chuckled when he saw the intense fear in my eyes.
Dragon: "Friends of yours?"
My friends started to panic. Suddenly, I heard a voice shooting through the air. This voice I could not be happier to hear. It was like to hear music.
Thorin: "You!"
The dragon stopped his chuckling. He turned around and faced the direction from which Thorin´s voice had boomed from. I did the same and found Thorin, standing by one of the great dwarven statues that were placed south of the square.
Thorin was unharmed, but he looked quite beat. Then I realized what he was doing. I carefully ran over to my friends on my toes. They were still panicking, but I managed to calm them down.
Me: "Go back down to the caves. Wait for me and Thorin. If we won´t be back sooner or later, then try to find a way out of here together with the others"
Sigrid: "No! Come with us. Thorin is clearly sacrificing himself and we have to take this open window which he has given us to escape the dragon now together"
Me: "Aye, he may have done that. But then he forgot that I won´t leave without him. Go now, be safe and don´t make any noises while you´re down there"
They urgently protested my orders. I sighed.
Me: "Stop arguing! This is the only chance you´ll get and if you won´t take this opportunity, then you´re might as well be dead within 15 minutes. Listen to me"
I cleared my throat and took a deep breath.
Me: "This is not the end. I have a plan. I´m not sure it´ll work but-"
Furgil: "And what if the plan should not work? Then what?"
Me: "Then this is goodbye. So listen to me when I say this; I am truly blessed to have you all in my life. I am so grateful for what you did for me, putting yourself in peril for my sake. I think I´ll never be able to repay that, except putting myself in danger to save you of course. I love you all, I really do. And if we will never meet again, then farewell"
The dragon had noticed us. I quickly shooed them through the gate and gave them one last glance. I looked all of them in their eyes; blue, green and brown colors looked back at me, with water beginning to well out.
Then I closed the gate and turned around, only to find that Thorin was right in front of me.
He mouthed at me to run and then nodded to my right. I looked to my right and then ran for it. Thorin followed me. As I ran, I glanced at the dragon. he was in pain, stumbling around while he groaned.
Me: "What did you do to him?"
Thorin: "I threw a spear into one his nostrils! He has weaknesses in the sockets of his body!"
We continued on running, fleeing away from the dragon.
But as we ran, my head began to feel dizzy again. I told Thorin to stop. We were in a safe distance from the dragon now. I stumbled on my feet, Thorin grabbed my arm to stop me from falling onto the floor. Then body went complete limp and my vision faded into black. I couldn´t see a thing. I could still feel and hear though, Thorin was holding me in his arms and was speaking to me, but I could not pick up the words.
A vision entered my mind. I saw the dragon yet again, and he was chasing something through the city. The vision then showed my friends, running for their dear lives in complete panic and horror. It seemed like they were somewhere near the Hall of Durin´s folk.
The Hall of Durin´s folk. The hall were the statues and great paintings of old. Statues were shaped and formed after Erebor´s first king under the mountain; Thráin I. And the paintings contained him and his people, entering and establishing the colony of Erebor, thousands of years ago. Our kin.
The vision was cut and i could finally open up my eyes. I saw Thorin, holding me while I lay on the floor. His stare was concerned and frightened. Then I started to move my mouth and use my vocal cords again.
Me: "Hall of Durin´s folk. They´re there"
Thorin: "What are you speaking of?"
Me: "My friends came after us, trying to distract the dragon`s attention upon us. A diversion"
Thorin: "Bless me, your friends are the most reckless and impulsive dwarves of this kingdom perhaps…"
There was no time to stay and talk. Thorin helped me up on my feet and we started to make for the hall.
By the time we got there, there were no screaming or running to be heard. It seemed like no one was in the hall.
Me: "We have to get inside. They might be in there and hiding from the dragon"
Thorin: "How can you be so sure?"
Me: "The last time I had a vision before this, I saw the dragon Thorin and just look what happened"
Thorin: "What did you say?"
I did not answer, because I could feel the anger in his voice. He was mad. I felt his eyes burning into me. I quickly turned to face him and explain myself.
Me: "Don't be mad at me-"
Thorin: "So that was what happened in the dungeons? You saw the dragon entering the mountain and you did not care to tell me about this?!"
Me: "It would have made no difference-"
Thorin: "Yes it would've! There would not be half an army of dead dwarves lying in our halls and the people could've gotten out in time before it the dragon would've come!"
I suppose he was right about that, and it made me feel partially responsible for the attack.
Me: "But Thorin, I thought that I was going insane. My parents had just died and I found out that the King had killed them, would you not go insane by those facts? I was in my lowest and saddest period during that time and then having a vision made that even more clear!"
Thorin: "So it did not give you a slightest clue to tell me anyway?"
Thorin's shoulder sank and then he turned away. What was he doing? Is he just going to leave me here? We're under attack for goodness sake!
Me: "Look I'm sorry, I truly am. But what done is done"
Thorin: "You're awfully true about that at least"
Me: "Are you calling me a liar? 'Cause if you are, then you can go straight to hell! You should know that I came back for you even when you told me to leave!"
He did not care to answer me, instead he started to walk away. Fury and panic began to flare up inside me.
Me: "Where are you going?"
Thorin: "My grandfather told me to wait for him while he was getting the Arkenstone from the chamber. He's been gone for quite a while now and I should go down and look for him"
Me: "You're choosing that bastard instead of me?!"
Thorin: "At least he did not lie about the attack, 'cause he was just as innocent as I was of this"
Me: "But you'd do well to remember that he still lied to you and I"
He again stopped, but did not turn around. Instead he looked at me over his shoulder, his eyes full of betrayal and disgust.
Thorin: "He may have killed two dwarves, yet you killed hundreds of them"
Then he marched off in haste. I froze on my spot and my jaw dropped in sheer shock. How can he just blame me like that?
Me: "I hope you do realize that you're doing the exact same thing to me as what Asabelle did to you years ago! Selfish slug"
I yelled after him. Then he was beyond my sight. My body was shaking of anger and betrayal. Curse the dwarrow! I did not kill those dwarves, I never intended to either! What made more angry was that he did not even believe me, but what made me most furious was that he chose his grandfather. His grandfather who killed my parents!
There was no time to stand there and be angry, I had to make sure my friends were safe and sound. I walked up to the massive gate and opened it carefully and peeked my head inside.
